World briefly

MOSCOW - A bomb apparently wired to railroad tracks derailed a passenger train traveling from Chechnya to Moscow on Sunday, injuring at least 15 people on a Russian national holiday.

The blast occurred just hours before President Vladimir Putin marked the Day of Russia holiday with a reception and awards ceremony in the Kremlin.

VALENTIN TKACHEV

Officials discuss the derailment of a train traveling Sunday from Grozny to Moscow. The accident was caused by an explosion on the tracks, the Federal Security Service said.

Officials did not name any suspects and no group claimed responsibility. But Chechen separatist rebels frequently stage attacks on Russian holidays.

Putin made no public mention of the derailment, but police stepped up security at railroad stations and on trains.

The train was traveling from the Chechen capital, Grozny, when the driver saw an explosion on the railbed ahead of the engine, Federal Security Service spokeswoman Diana Shemyakina said. Four of the cars jumped the tracks. NTV television said the train derailed shortly after leaving a station and was not moving fast, which may have saved lives.

Tragedy strikes China twice with flood, fire

ANDREW MEDICHINI

Pope Benedict XVI greets the faithful Sunday from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. The pontiff plans a special catechism encounter with children Oct. 15.

BEIJING - Forklifts cleaned up mud and silt as rescuers searched through ruins Sunday for 17 students missing after a flash flood swamped a school in northeast China and swept 92 people to their deaths. The flood hit the same day a fire raced through the top floors of a southern hotel and killed 31.

Authorities in Beijing were struggling to handle the twin tragedies thousands of miles apart, trying to overcome faulty communications in the flood zone and vowing to dispatch an emergency team of investigators to the hotel fire.

Friday's flash flood slammed a school in Shalan, a remote town in China's far northeastern province of Heilongjiang, claiming the lives of 88 students and four villagers, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday.

Another 25 people were hospitalized, it said.

Pope plans special day for children at Vatican

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday he will lead a special gathering with children at the Vatican in October.

The pope said he plans to hold "a special catechism" on Oct. 15 for children, particularly from Rome and the surrounding region, who received the sacrament of Holy Communion this year. He made the announcement during his traditional weekly appearance at his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square.

Many among the tens of thousands of people in the square clapped and cheered when the pope mentioned the special day for children. Parents hoisted small children on their shoulders for a better view of the pontiff, who thanked the crowd for its applause.

Benedict also urged the faithful to stress to their children the importance of going to Mass each Sunday. The pope reminded those in St. Peter's Square that during a trip last month to Bari, Italy, he told faithful that the duty of attending Mass every Sunday "must be felt by the Christian not as an imposition or as a weight, but as a need and a joy."

Palestinian executions aimed at imposing law

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Palestinian authorities carried out their first executions since 2002 on Sunday, killing four convicted murderers in a campaign meant to halt a growing wave of lawlessness but which drew swift condemnation from human rights groups.

The executions reflected the tough challenge that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas faces as he tries to impose law and order in the Palestinian areas. Abbas has made public order a top priority, but his forces have been severely weakened by internal rivalries, a lack of resources and years of fighting with Israel.

Despite Abbas' efforts to revamp his security forces, militant groups and armed gangs continue to operate with virtual impunity, often clashing with rival factions or police.

In a fresh challenge to Abbas, two Islamic militant groups responsible for dozens of suicide bombings threatened Sunday to pull out of a four-month-old cease-fire.

Kuwait names first woman Cabinet minister

KUWAIT CITY - The Kuwaiti government has appointed its first female Cabinet minister, a month after this nation granted women the right to vote and run for office, state-owned television reported Sunday.

Political science teacher Massouma al-Mubarak, a women's rights activist and columnist, was given the planning and administrative development portfolios, Prime Minister Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah was quoted as saying. The two portfolios previously were held by Sheik Ahmed Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.

"I'm happy," al-Mubarak, 54, told The Associated Press. "This honor is not bestowed on my person but on every woman who fought to prove that Kuwaiti women are capable."